The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-23
Potato Experime nts.


Mr.. Emmett s. Golf has been making some
experiments with respect to the potato. 1t
is well known that the potato tuber is not a
seed, but thickened, underground stem.
In plants grown directly from the seed it is
generally admitted that the choice of seed
has much to do with he crop. Whether or
not a similar rule applies to plants grown
from bulbs; tubers or cuttings is question
about which much difference of opinion ex-
lists.
Can the productiveness of the potato be
increased by selecting the seed from the
most prolific hills?
In the fall of 1883 the largest and the
smallest hill respectively were selected by
Mr.. Golf from the yield of our sample rows
of ten different varieties. The following
spring the largest and the smallest tubers
respectively were chosen from each of these
two hills, cut to single eyes and planted, the
cuttings of each tuber forming a row by
themselves. Thus there were four short
rows of each variety. The first of these
was planted with the single eye cuttings of
the largest tuber from the most prolific hill.
the second with those of the smallest tuber
from the same, the third with those of the
largest tuber from the least productive hill,
and the fourth with those of the smallest
tuber from the same. In the fall the yields
were weighed and a similar selection made
for the next years crop. In order to avoid
repetition the yields of each of the four Sc
lections for the two years 1884 and 1885 are
given. The figures are the average of the
ten varieties for each year and represent the
yield of each tuber calculated on a basis of
100 eyes in pounds.
First Experiment, 1885. Lbs.
Largest tubers from largest hills, per 100eyes106
Largest tubers for smallest hills, per lO0 eyes %
Showing an excess from the most productive
hills Of 20 pounds TO the hundred eyes.
Lbs.
Smallest tubers from the largest hills, per
Smallest tubers from the smallest hills, per
Showing an excess from the most productive We
Mills of 10 pounds per hundred eyes
Second Experiment. 1885. lbs.
Largest tubers from largest hills, per 100 eyes144
Largest tubers from smallest hills, per 100
Showing an excess from the largest hills of Is
pounds per hundred eyes.
LBS.
Smallest tubers from largest hills per 100
eyes. ....,................13 1877
Smallest tubers from smallest hills, per 100
Showing an excess from the largest hills of 80
pounds per hundred eyes.
The results in both these experiments are
so strongly in favor of the seed tubers from
the most prolific hills as to leave scarcely a
doubt as to their Interpretation. Owing to
the rotting of potatoes in the fall of 1885 the
experiment could not be continued through
1886, as in only two out of the ten varieties
was it possible to preserve the largest and
the smallest hills The two sorts were grown,
however, with substantially the same results
as in 1884 and 1885,
Another line of experiments was in the
direction of ascertaining whether large or
small seed tubers were the most productive
The evidence is clearly in favor of large or,
at least, medium sized tubers for seed Sum
marizing the paintings of 1884 and 1885 the
yield of merchantable potatoes per hundred
eyes from the largest tubers was eighty -four
pounds, from the smallest sixty -four pounds,
showing an excess from the largest tubers
of seventeen pounds per hundred eyes, The
total yield of potatoes was from the largest
tubers 115 pounds, from the smallest 100
pounds, showing an excess from the largest
tubers of fifteen pounds per hundred eyes.
In an experiment made the past season
with whole tubers of various sizes one hun
dred hills from tubers the size of large hens
eggs yielded seventy-nine pounds eight
ounces of merchantable potatoes. The same
number from tubers the size of black wal
nut yielded seventy-four pounds fourteen
ounces.